The Jamaica Mental Health Advocacy Network has launched a social media challenge aimed at raising awareness for mental illness in Jamaica.

The challenge was launched Friday, which is being observed as Jamaica Day, and will last for two weeks. It asks people to post a picture or video of themselves wearing Jamaican colours and sharing either their mental health experience or why mental health matters to them. The posts should be accompanied by the #mentalhealthinJM and #jamhan_ja #itsokayJA.

“We’re aiming to raise mental health awareness in Jamaica and work to eliminate the stigma associated with it. As it stands, mental health is a very taboo topic, despite the fact that we as a society strongly need to focus on it, as stress levels are very high,” Tameka A Coley, Director of Communications & Public Awareness, Jamaica Mental Health Advocacy Network, told OBSERVER ONLINE.

“There’s a global pandemic, inflation, plus news of abuse, trauma, and violence all around us. It’s critical to start the dialogue and make it more appealing as a first step,” she added.

The Jamaica Mental Health Advocacy Network is a group of young professionals involved in the fields of mental health, social work, community development and advocacy, according to the organisation’s website.

It says it seeks to be a nationally representative network that has a sustained and transformative impact on the provision of, access to and awareness of mental health services in Jamaica, and envisions improved lives for people with mental illnesses living in Jamaica.